Originally published in "The Lord's Coming Herald & Wesleyan Bible Prophecy Advocate," Fall Edition 2000
The Gospel Of Antinomianism
The American evangelical church-world
today is greatly plagued by the dread moral disease of theological and practical
antinomianism. Antinomianism means lawlessness. It is the product of the carnal
mind, which the Bible says is "enmity against God, and is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be" (Roman 8:7).
Antinomianism is an inward revulsion of, and antagonism to,
holiness in heart and life. It is most manifest today in what others call
"worldliness," or the despising and forsaking of Bible standards of holy living.
Antinomians do not see that the New Testament code of conduct and ethics
(including the personal issues of dress and appearance) are relevant to
Christianity today. Thus, they will not come under its teaching concerning the
very practical issues of women cutting their hair, modesty in dress (which
precludes the prevailing unisex orientation of women wearing pants like men),
wearing of jewelry, and other concrete issues, that for centuries were part of
the pilgrim church's teaching of separation from the world.
In the Gospel of Christ, so thinks the antinomian, the
ethical laws of God are set aside in favor of free grace—a sentimental grace
that has no connection to morality, and does not deliver from the life-style
patterns that the Bible clearly condemns as sin.
The gospel of antinomianism, simply put, is the message that
to keep the laws of God is somehow to be counted as despicable legalism; to
insist on the New Testament standard of piety, or holy living, in separation
from a defiled world is UNNECESSARY for salvation.
The gospel of antinomianism presents a Christianity that
essentially has attaching to it a moral paradox. One is "saved," but continues
to sin in thought, word, and deed every day (for the antinomian Calvinist), or,
one is "saved and sanctified," but conveniently ignores what one does not agree
with in the Bible (for the antinomian professor of Wesleyan Arminianism).
Antinomians sweep away the moral law as some despicable form
of legalism, hoping thereby to solve the deeper problem of their inward bent to
sin. The true Christian, on the other hand, submits to God's call to inward
purity.
When the heart has been purified from the antinomian principle
within, Bible standards of holiness are found to be not such a pain after all (I
John 5:3). Rather, to the entirely sanctified, Bible standards of holiness are
beautiful-a reflection of the beauty of the Lord!
Related Article Links
The Come Out Message
Law, Grace, And The Solution To The Sin Problem